15 ways to reduce the amount of plastic you use in daily life

We can all do our bit to help

Plastic pollution is an issue many of us are now highly aware of, thanks to David Attenborough’s recent series Blue Planet II shining a light on the staggering scale of harm plastic waste has on the environment.

“A truck load of plastic waste enters our oceans every minute. That’s a huge amount and the impact on ocean habitats and marine life can be devastating,” Alice Hunter, Digital Campaigner at Greenpeace told Goodhousekeeping.co.uk.

“Not only can animals like dolphins and turtles become entangled in pieces of plastic, but they can also mistake it for food. We’ve seen cases of whales washed ashore with their stomachs full of plastic, leaving no space for the real food that they need to live.”

It’s not just life below the water that’s affected - studies have shown up to 90% of seabirds have plastic in their digestive systems and microplastics (broken-down plastics which are eaten by filter feeders like plankton and in turn fish then humans) have been found in table salt, beer and tap water, according to Alice.

Getty Images

“It’s an absolutely enormous problem – a problem arguably on par with climate change,” Julian Kirby, a Campaigner for Friends of the Earth told us.

“The amount of plastic we’ve released into the environment over the last few decades is mind-blowing.”

Statistics offer us some idea of how rapidly the issue is worsening. A recently-published University of California study concluded the world has made as much plastic in the past 13 years as it did in the previous half-century, and research by the Ellen McArthur foundation suggests that by the year 2050, the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish.

While the Government and manufacturing companies - who hold power over this issue - ultimately have the responsibility of ending plastic pollution, there are ways we can all do our bit.

“Individuals have enormous power through the choices they make as consumers,” Amanda Keetley, Director of Less Plastic told Goodhousekeeping.co.uk.

“You can create demand for less plastic products and packaging through your purchasing choices, and also by talking to others about the reasons why you prefer to buy products with less plastic.

“Plastic has insidiously crept into every corner of our lives, but there are so many simple ways to use less plastic when you take a moment to stop to question whether it is really needed,” she added.

So, what changes can we make in our daily lives to reduce our contribution to wide-scale plastic pollution? Here are 15 tips from environmental campaigners…

1. Work out what plastic you really need

“Begin by noticing what plastic items you throw away every day. Go through your bins for a typical week and make a note of the items you use the most,” Amanda from Less Plastic advises.

“Question whether you can live without them or discover alternatives that use less plastic instead. For example, you could switch plastic milk bottles for glass ones delivered by your local dairy.

“Instead of using cling film to keep leftover food fresh, put it in a bowl in the fridge with a plate on top or use old jars, or reusable beeswax food wrap. For sandwiches on-the-go try reusable sandwich bags reusable bento boxes, or use easily recyclable aluminium foil. There really is no need to use plastic cling film, apart from habit,” Amanda added.

Getty Images

2. Avoid excessive food packaging

“Farm shops, markets and bigger supermarkets offer loose fruit and veg - choose unpackaged options where possible to cut your plastic use. This also reduces food waste as you can buy what you need rather than the pre-packaged amount - and it’s often cheaper!” Alice from Greenpeace says.

3. Swap disposable for reusable

“Try to remember to take a reusable cup with you when you visit coffee houses like Costa and Starbucks, because only less than 0.5% of disposable cups are recycled properly,” Julian from Friends of the Earth tells us.

“Most of those are going into incinerations of landfills or escaping into the environment and causing pollution. In the UK alone we use seven million coffee cups a day, that’s 2.5 billion a year - an enormous figure.”

Need more incentive? Café chain Pret A Manger recently announced it will reduce 50p from the price of a hot drink when the customer buying it is using their own reusable coffee cup and Starbucks is rolling out a three-month trial of a 5p charge on disposable cups in up to 25 London stores.

“Also think about water - do you really need to buy it?” asks Julian.

“If you need to take it out with you, do so in a reusable bottle. There’s a growing number of café, bars, shops and even public water fountains now that are providing the opportunity for filling up. “

Since the government brought in a 5p tax on plastic carrier bags in 2015, England’s contribution to plastic bag pollution has plummeted by 85%.

Julian describes this as a “huge success story” but notes that the levy is only restricted to the largest supermarkets.

“Everywhere else you’ll still get your chocolate bar given to you in a plastic bag, which of course you don’t need. Always carry your own bag with you, whether it’s a carrier bag sturdy enough to be used multiple times or a cloth bag,” he advises.

Getty Images

4. Try plastic-free cleaning

“Experiment with plastic-free cleaning. White vinegar diluted one part with three parts warm water makes a cheap, effective natural surface cleaner and avoids the need to purchase plastic cleaning bottles," Amanda advises.

“Even if your vinegar comes in plastic, it will go much further. Some shops sell it in glass bottles which you can decant into an old cleaning bottle spray,” she adds.
5. Say no to plastic straws

“When you’re going out for a drink refuse plastic straws, and instead encourage pubs and cafes to use card straws which are increasing in popularity,” Julian says.

“If you’re going to get straws for a kid’s party, look for plastic-free alternatives if you have to have them. Plastic straws are a real nasty in terms of escaping into the environment.”

“For products such as washing up liquid or fabric softener, find your local refill station where bottles can be reused. Some shops also offer unpackaged food products such as pulses, rice and even peanut butter. Just bring your own jars and fill them up. You can find out where your closes refill station is using the Zero Home Waste app.

7. Take time to dine in

“Seek out unpackaged food wherever possible, make your own ‘real food’ whenever you can, or take the time to dine in instead of getting takeaway food in plastic containers,” Amanda suggests.

Getty Images

8. Encourage eateries to ditch regular disposables

If you are getting food to take out, all’s not lost.

“Buy local and speak to the staff in your favourite shops and food/drink establishments to request they provide sustainable alternatives to ‘disposable’ plastic such as reusable cutlery they wash up or FSC wooden disposable cutlery and FSC paper/cardboard take out boxes,” Amanda says.

9. Avoid microbeads

“The good news is the UK government has announced a ban on polluting plastic microbeads, which have been used in the manufacturing of many beauty products in recent years, but until the ban comes into force later this year you should keep checking those labels before you buy,” advises Alice from Greenpeace.

Plastic is used to seal teabags shut during manufacturing and therefore Friends of the Earth’s Julian is urging people to “fall back in love with loose-leaf tea.”

“I think some brands are making teabags that don’t have plastic in but they can be hard to find so the easiest thing to do is go teabag-free altogether. “
11. Try ‘naked’ toiletries

Lush has a wide-spanning range of ‘naked’ toiletries that come in solid bar form and don’t require plastic packaging thanks to their self-preserving composition.

Between January 2015 and January 2016, global sales of its shampoo bars meant that 15,890,925 plastic bottles were never created. Similarly, from May to June 2015, using naked body butters saved 1572 kg of packaging from being thrown into landfill.

Getty Images

12. Be mindful of microfibres in clothing

“A lot of our plastic pollution that goes into the sea comes from microfibres - the small fibres that wash out of our clothes, whether that’s our polyester underwear or our fleece tops,” Julian says.

He recommends purchasing a product called Guppyfriend, which goes into your washing machine and traps microfibres to prevent them from getting into seawater.

“Ultimately we need to have clothes that don’t shed pollution into the sea but in the short time getting a Guppyfriend is a great thing you can do on a personal level,” Julian advises.
13. Leave plastic at the supermarket

“If you’re feeling brave, then next time you’re doing your supermarket shop, take some of the plastic packaging you don’t want off the products you do want, and leave it at the checkout,” Greenpeace’s Alice advises.

“It’s a bit scary, but you’re well within your rights to do it, and you’re helping the supermarket to understand what their customers want.”

Getty Images

14. Get campaigning

As well as making simple swaps at home, there are a number of campaigns you can get involved with to help create real change. A Plastic Planet is a grassroots campaign urging supermarkets to install plastic-free aisles and Friends of the Earth is currently petitioning the Government to look at how it's handling the plastic pollution crisis.

“It’s a great idea because that it puts the pressure back where it belongs, on the people who create the problem in the first place,” says Julian.

15. Don’t be overwhelmed

Most importantly, don’t be overwhelmed by all of the changes you could potentially make – and take it a step at a time if you are feeling that way.

“These are all tips you can strive towards but you don’t have to do them all at once. Just making one change a week, or a couple a month will make a big difference,” Amanda says.

“Pick the easiest first to motivate yourself, or maybe the ones that make the biggest impact. For example, if you have a daily single-use plastic water bottle habit you can cut that out right away and resolve to drink tap water in a reusable bottle instead.

“Remember doing something is better than doing nothing at all, and know that you are part of a growing movement. Together our actions will add up to something huge.”

Getty Images

Top tips for cutting down your plastic usage:

Favour reusable. Coffee cups, water bottles and carrier bags all come in reusable forms, so you don’t have to keep buying new disposable ones.

Avoid excessive packaging. Try buying loose food like fruits and vegetables from green grocers and farmer markets, rather than supermarkets where they’re often packaged in plastic.

Dine in. Take time to make food at home or dine in at restaurants, rather than getting meals in disposable takeout boxes.

Use ‘naked’ toiletries. Buy items like body wash, hand soap and shampoo in solid form rather than bottled in plastic.

Get refills. Use the Zero Home Waste app to find shops where you can refill your washing up liquid bottles and buy loose food items like rice, pulses and even peanut butter.

RED, PART OF THE HEARST UK FASHION & BEAUTY NETWORK
Red Online participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.